Kimi Raikkonen will not be baited by media questions over F1 future

Kimi Raikkonen will not be drawn into speculation over his Formula 1 future as Ferrari looks closer to promoting prospect Charles Leclerc from Sauber to the factory team.

Raikkonen is no stranger to speculation. Also a top prospect when he entered the sport, Raikkonen has raced for Sauber, McLaren, Lotus and twice at Ferrari, winning a championship with the Scuderia in 2007. He has also spent time away from the paddock when he ventured out to try his hand at rallying and NASCAR.

Last weekend in France, it was Daniel Ricciardo linked to McLaren should Fernando Alonso elect to make a transition to IndyCar, but now it’s Raikkonen's turn to be connected to his former team, a combination that yielded nine wins in a five-year period between 2002 and 2006.

“I spoke to them a lot in the past when I was there, but I have zero interest to get involved in all the nonsense in my view,” said Raikkonen. “You guys usually write what you decide yourselves if it’s true or not.

“It’s the same as always every year. I said in 2007, I think it was, that I’d finish with Ferrari, and then at some point it didn’t look like that, and now it looks like it again. You never know what comes, but we will see as always.

“I’ve been in the situation many times, we will know for sure before next year but it’s a pretty normal situation from my side. There’s a lot of talk, and I don’t need to comment on those, everyone will see at some point what happens. Let’s wait and see.”

Raikkonen currently sits fifth in the drivers’ standings and is yet to register a win since his 2014 return to Ferrari.

Indeed, Raikkonen is without victory in 102 Grand Prix starts which guarantees that he will break the record for most Grand Prix starts between wins although at 1,932 days, he still has some way to go if he is to beat Riccardo Patrese’s record -- the 1983 South African Grand Prix and 1990 San Marino Grand Prix being separated by 2,402 days.

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